0p0 Chapter 495 The Northern Li Army suffers a major defeat, and the Dark River Trio infiltrates Snow Mo
Chapter 495 The Northern Li Army suffers a major defeat, and the Dark River Trio infiltrates Snow Mo
Xiao Ping knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
The night wind blew by, carrying the distant howls of wolves, mournful and desolate.
Xiao Ruofeng sat down again, gazing northward.
That is the direction of divine revelation, the center of power, the place where he was born and raised, and also... the place where he might be buried.
But he had to go back.
For the fallen soldiers, for the responsibilities still on my shoulders, and also... to see my brother, the Emperor.
There were some things he needed to clarify in person.
There are some things he needs to settle.
Night fell, and the stars dimmed.
Xiao Ruofeng sat quietly in front of the campfire, the firelight illuminating his desolate figure, which was truly heartbreaking.
Outside the remnants of the Northern Army, three furtive voices quietly disappeared. Xiao Ruofeng was uneasy and did not notice them even though they were very close.
Those three guys were none other than Luo Qinghong, Song Chen, and Zhuo Yifeng, who had been secretly following them, sent by the Shadow Sect.
……
Xiaguan City, Yuelai Inn.
Before dawn, Su Zhe woke up Su Muyu and Su Changhe.
"Let's pack up and get into the city as soon as possible!"
He whispered, "Snow Moon City opens its gates at dawn every day. We need to be among the first merchants to enter."
The three quickly packed their belongings, rechecked their disguises, and after confirming that everything was in order, led the mule cart out of the inn.
The morning mist was thick, and there were few pedestrians on the streets.
Upon reaching the town entrance, they saw a patrol of Snowmoon City sentries checking passersby.
The leader was a man of about eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a dark blue outfit, carrying a long knife, with sharp eyes.
He was carefully inspecting the goods on a grain cart, asking questions from time to time; it was Luo He himself.
Su Changhe's heart tightened, and he whispered to Su Zhe, "Uncle Zhe, are you investigating so thoroughly?"
“It would be strange if they weren’t strict!” Su Zhe said without changing his expression. “Snow Moon City has now taken in the wanted criminal Hu Bufei, so they must be worried that the imperial court will send people to cause trouble. It’s only natural that they’re strengthening their checks!”
Remember, we're just selling alcohol, don't panic..."
The procession was moving quickly; it would be their turn soon.
Luo He, carrying a knife, sized up the three men and asked, "Hey, you three! Where are you from, and what are you doing?"
"Sir, my family and I are from Yibin. We don't have much skill, only brewing wine. But the market in Yibin isn't good, and we stumbled upon this place by chance..." Su Zhe said with a smile, bowing to Luo He again.
"We hope you will be lenient, sir. My father and I have not been able to make a sale for quite some time!"
Luo He didn't reply. He walked closer to the mule cart, used his knife to lift the tarpaulin, and found that there were indeed wine jars underneath. He then looked up at the three people and asked, "Yibin is not a short distance from Xueyue City. What's the reason for the bad situation?"
“You don’t know this!” Su Zhe sighed, “Grain prices in Yibin have risen sharply this year, making brewing costs too high.”
We originally intended to cross the border between Yunzhou and Shu to reach Yunzhou City, but we took the wrong road and stumbled upon this Xiaguan City by accident… Since we're already here, we might as well make the best of it; we really have no money to go any further south!”
As he spoke, he took a small jar of wine from the car and broke the clay seal: "If you don't mind, sir, try our Yibin Wuliang liquor. If you like it, could you do my family a favor?"
The aroma of the wine spreads, rich and lingering.
Luo He's eyes flickered. He took the wine jar, smelled it, poured himself a small bowl, tasted it, and nodded: "The wine is good."
After finishing his drink, Luo He waved his hand and said, "Go in! Remember, behave yourself in the city. Snow Moon City has its own rules, so don't cause trouble for yourself!"
"Yes, yes, thank you so much, sir!" Su Zhe bowed and thanked him repeatedly. Su Muyu and Su Changhe exchanged glances, understanding each other's thoughts, and secretly laughed at Luo He's youth, which allowed him to sneak into the city so easily!
The three men led the mule cart slowly through the gate leading into the center of Snowmoon City.
After walking more than ten feet, Su Changhe finally breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Uncle Zhe, you acted so convincingly."
Su Zhe smiled faintly: "That kid guarding the pass is short-sighted and seems to have never seen much of the world. Of course he's easy to fool!"
As they spoke, the three looked up at the increasingly prosperous city, which gradually revealed its outline in the morning mist—the city walls were towering, built against the mountain, and the city towers had flying eaves and brackets, making it magnificent.
Before she could even take a few glances, Su Muyu suddenly spoke up: "Be careful, there are experts on the city wall!"
Su Zhe followed his gaze and saw a middle-aged bald man standing with his hands behind his back on the city gate tower, gazing into the distance.
Although they were far apart, the aura emanating from them was far beyond that of ordinary residents of Snowmoon City.
“I don’t recognize this person very well either…” Su Zhe said in a low voice, “We don’t need to pay attention to him, just proceed according to plan.”
The mule cart creaked and groaned as it finally entered the city center.
The scene in the city center was completely different from that outside the city—the streets were wide and clean, lined with shops, and early-rising vendors had already set up their stalls. Pedestrians came and went. Although it was not as prosperous as Tianqi, it had its own majestic atmosphere of a frontier city.
What caught the three men's attention even more was that there were significantly more江湖客 (jianghu ke, martial arts practitioners) than ordinary people on the street.
Swordsmen carrying sabers were everywhere, and each of them possessed a formidable aura, clearly indicating that they were martial artists who had come here either because of their reputation or to settle down here.
"It truly lives up to its reputation!" Su Changhe exclaimed in amazement. "This Snow Moon City is practically becoming a holy land for martial arts enthusiasts."
"It's best to avoid saying such things, Changhe, be careful, walls may have ears!" Su Zhe warned in a low voice.
The three of them found an inn not far from the city lord's mansion and settled down. The inn was called "Wangyuelou" (Moon Gazing Pavilion), a three-story wooden building that was doing quite well.
After settling in, Su Zhe instructed Su Changhe: "Go to the taverns in the city and find out who is in charge of Snow Moon City now, what their preferences are, and what their banquet customs are. Remember, do it discreetly."
"Muyu, go and walk around the city to familiarize yourself with the terrain, especially the location of Tingyu Pavilion and its guard situation."
"I'll go find out the location of the City Lord's Pavilion, and while I'm at it, find out the usual daily routines of Baili Dongjun and Sikong Changfeng..."
The two men took the order and left.
Su Zhe sat alone in the room, opened the window, and discovered a pavilion more than ten feet high in the center of the city.
He squinted and examined it carefully for a long time, thinking to himself, 'This pavilion must be where Baili Dongjun and the others are!'
He slowly took out the sandalwood wine gourd from his bosom and gently stroked it.
The gourd's surface was warm and smooth, as if it still carried the warmth of Xie Shi's hands from the Diaolou Xiaozhu.
"The Eight Drunken Immortals..." Su Zhe muttered to himself, "This time, let's see if Baili Dongjun, this drunkard, will fall for it!"
The morning light shone through the window and onto his face.
On that ordinary-looking face after the disguise, a pair of eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like cold stars in a deep pool.
……
Snow Moon City, Listening to the Rain Pavilion.
Hu Bufei stood by the window, gazing at the withered lotus leaves in the pond in the courtyard.
He had been rescued and brought to Snow Moon City for several days, and his injuries had mostly healed under Sikong Changfeng's treatment, but the tangled mess in his heart was getting tighter and tighter.
There were footsteps outside the door.
Baili Dongjun pushed open the door and entered, carrying a jar of wine in his hand, and said with a smile:
"Imperial Censor Hu, you look quite well today. Come, try my newly brewed 'Cold Pool Rinsing'! Sikong Changfeng said this wine is too cold and he doesn't like it! But now that summer is almost here, it's perfect for drinking right now!"
Hu Bufei stood up and smiled bitterly: "Lord Baili, I am now a criminal and no longer worthy of the title 'Imperial Censor'. Please just call me by my name!"
"Alright, alright! Hu Bufei!" Baili Dongjun placed the wine jar on the table and broke the clay seal. "I'm not used to those formalities either. Come on, let's drink!"
The aroma of the wine wafts out, clear and refreshing like a spring.
Hu Bufei sniffed, his eyes lighting up: "A cool breeze, and the aroma of wine permeates to the bone! This is truly fine wine!"
"You see! Only those who truly understand wine can appreciate the subtleties of my Cold Pool Rinsing!"
Baili Dongjun poured two bowls and pushed one of them towards Hu Bufei: "Come on, let's drink and chat!"
The two sat facing each other. Hu Bufei took a sip of wine, closed his eyes to savor the taste, and after a long while, sighed:
"Clear and sweet, with a long-lasting aftertaste, and what's even more rare is that icy and snowy quality... In my opinion, your brewing skills are so exceptional that it would be hard to find another person like you in the world!"
Baili Dongjun laughed and said, "You flatter me, your master's skills far surpass mine... cough cough!"
He almost blurted out that the Confucian immortal Gu Chen had been left behind in the mortal world, but Baili Dongjun quickly swallowed it back and changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of brewing, I recently heard something—three wine merchants from Yibin came to the city, and the 'Wuliangshao' they brought was quite good."
I've already sent someone to invite them; we can try this fine wine from Yibin, Sichuan, later!
Hu Bufei's eyes lit up even more: "Oh? Then I'd like to see for myself."
As the two were talking, Yin Luoxia's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Dongjun, Sikong Changfeng is looking for you. He says he has something important to discuss."
Baili Dongjun stood up: "You drink first, I'll come find you for a drink later!"
Hu Bufei nodded and casually scooped up most of the jar of cold water into his arms.
As Baili Dongjun stepped out of the room, Yin Luoxia whispered, "Changfeng said that there seem to be unidentified experts infiltrating outside the city, and he warned you to be careful!"
Baili Dongjun raised an eyebrow: "How many people? What's their style?"
"I don't know. Changfeng heard it from Senior Luo Nianse. She said there were some unfamiliar faces asking about the location of Tingyuxuan..." Yin Luoxia frowned. "Could they be... sent by Tianqi?"
A cold glint flashed in Baili Dongjun's eyes: "That's not surprising. They must have taken some action!"
He pondered for a moment and said, "Fairy Sister, please ask Sikong Changfeng to strengthen the defenses. Also... investigate those three wine merchants!"
"You suspect them?"
"It's always better to be cautious..." Baili Dongjun looked towards the inn. "At this critical juncture, all sorts of monsters and demons could appear!"
Yin Luoxia nodded: "Okay, I'll go arrange it right away. You should also pay attention!"
After saying that, he left Tingyuxuan.
Seeing Yin Luoxia leave, Baili Dongjun flew up to the top of Tingyuxuan alone, looked around, and took in all the places in Xueyue City.
What they didn't see was that from a certain window, a thin, short old man was looking in their direction!
……